Since 2012, North America’s early talent development program leaders have met at the LDP Summit to innovate, share and connect.
The LDP Summit is a unique conference tailor-made for early talent development professionals. Bring your challenges and enthusiam, and invest in YOUR OWN professional development alongside your peers at the 16th annual LDP Summit in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX on May 5 & 6, 2027.
THE 2026 LDP SUMMIT WAS SOLD OUT nearly two months in advance, and the waitlist was FULL. Please secure your 2027 registrations soon.
Organizations that invest in structured development programs are better equipped to attract, develop, and retain high-potential talent. The LDP Summit provides a collaborative environment where professionals can explore effective talent development strategies that support long-term workforce growth and leadership readiness. Through expert-led sessions and peer learning, attendees gain practical insights that can be applied to a variety of early-career initiatives.
As a premier early career talent development conference, the LDP Summit brings together HR leaders, recruiters, and program managers who are committed to building stronger talent pipelines. By learning from real-world success stories and emerging industry trends, participants leave with talent development strategies that help improve program outcomes and employee development.
Meaningful conversations with experienced professionals often lead to the best ideas. As a respected career development conference, the LDP Summit creates opportunities to exchange knowledge, discuss current challenges, and discover innovative solutions for developing future leaders. These interactions provide attendees with fresh perspectives and proven talent development strategies they can implement within their own organizations.
Whether you’re managing a rotational program or launching a new development initiative, the summit offers valuable resources to support continuous improvement. Attendees return with practical talent development strategies that strengthen employee engagement, improve retention, and prepare emerging professionals for long-term success.
Keeping pace with changing workforce expectations requires ongoing learning and collaboration. The LDP Summit serves as a trusted early career talent development conference, helping organizations stay informed about evolving best practices, benchmarking insights, and innovative approaches to talent development. Every session is designed to deliver actionable guidance that supports sustainable program success.
From networking opportunities to research-driven presentations, attendees gain the confidence to implement talent development strategies that align with their business objectives. By adopting effective strategies, organizations can create stronger leadership pipelines, enhance participant experiences, and maximize the long-term value of their early-career programs.
The 2026 LDP Summit was SOLD OUT with 200 people from 93 organizations.
The 2027 LDP Summit will be on May 5-6 in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX. We are already building the 2027 agenda below.
Who Comes to the LDP Summit?
“I absolutely LOVED the event and took away so much goodness that I can’t wait to implement in our program.”
LaKeisha James, AT&T
“It was an incredible experience connecting with like-minded professionals, brainstorming innovative ideas, and sharing best practices in early career development. The summit was packed with session speakers who inspired us to think bigger and act bolder.”
Hadyn Hebert, Phillips-Medisize
The use of this official seal confirms that this Activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.
Hosted by
133 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Offered again in 2027! Getting a program started on the right footing can make all the difference between success and trouble. With the LDP Connect maturity model as a backdrop, this full-day workshop will get you focused on the key foundational questions to setting up and running an impactful (and measurable) early talent development program. With an emphasis on clarifying your program’s goals, you’ll be guided through considering proper program structure, curriculum design, and community building among stakeholders. If you’re new to the world of early talent development programs, or if you’re looking to re-vamp an existing program that may need recalibration, don’t miss this workshop. Facilitated by early talent development experts at Wronski Associates – a firm with 40 years of experience building and running early talent programs. Learn more.
“LAUNCH” is a professional development experience for new early talent development staff that accelerates their understanding of the field and equips them with the skills to be strategic and innovative in their new role. Through a day-long masterclass, and three virtual sessions in the months that follow, LAUNCH will introduce participants to the value of early talent development programs in an organization, illuminate the forces that impact their success, and teach actionable strategies to quickly boost their productivity. Participants will leave with a solid foundation in early talent development theory, a tight network of like-minded new professionals, and the confidence to thrive. Facilitated by two senior early talent development experts with a combined 30 years of experience leading the early talent function at multi-billion dollar organizations. Learn more.
Kamal Ellis-Hyman
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Migdalys Perez
For years, many early talent programs have relied on familiar success metrics—retention, conversion rates, participant satisfaction, and engagement scores—to demonstrate value. But in today’s environment of restructuring, AI-driven workforce transformation, and increasing financial scrutiny, those metrics alone may no longer be enough to protect programs when budgets come under pressure.
In this session, Migdalys Perez will share a framework developed from firsthand experience navigating a major corporate restructuring. You’ll learn how she designed an integrated system that evolves beyond traditional talent metrics to measure and communicate a program’s true economic impact. This session breaks down how to combine manager feedback, automation, and real-time reporting into a simple “Value Loop” that captures both talent acceleration and financial outcomes while eliminating the manual effort that often undermines data collection.
Through practical examples and easily replicable tools, you’ll see how tools in Google Forms, Apps Script automation, and live dashboards can be leveraged to create executive-ready insights that resonate with business leaders and CFOs. Most importantly, you’ll leave with a framework for identifying the data that matters most, automating its collection, and building a stronger business case for your program’s continued investment and growth.
Deb Shugard
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Kesha Funk
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Ryan Gibson
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NaTasha Spence
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Maura Bremer Peterson
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Ryan McCool
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Chuck England
Kim Mills
Kristen Edblom
Jennifer Erickson
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Joseph Cook
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Samantha Dray
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Vince Bond
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Brittani Wilson
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Ryan McCool
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453 John Lewis Freedom Pkwy NE
Atlanta, GA, 30307
Please enter through the Ivan Allen Pavilion Main Entrance by the circular drive (shown here).
Questions? Please contact Susie.Likovic@LDPConnect.com
Because you need support and validation! The life of an early talent development professional is challenging. You hold together a community of people at multiple levels of seniority, and the stakes are high. Early talent developers are coaches, sales people, recruiters, career counselors and brand managers all wrapped into one. The job is big and no one understands you better than your peers. Invest in attending the conference and you’ll walk out with ideas, friends and a whole bunch of positive energy.
Although our conference includes content related to early talent acquisition, we are not a “campus recruiting” conference. The LDP Summit was founded in 2012 to focus on early talent development and how to optimize the structured programs that exist to promote it. There are no university career services professionals at the LDP Summit, and the vast majority of our content is produced and delivered by members of our community – other early talent development professionals like you.
Here is a link to the agenda of this year’s conference. You can also see past agendas for 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2022. LDP Summit sessions cover many tactical issues in running successful early talent development programs, and often tackle larger strategic questions about early talent development in general.
If you have more questions about the LDP Summit or about the LDP Connect community, please contact us at membership@LDPconnect.com.
Yes! If you send more than one person, you get a 5% discount on all attendees. Please contact Susie.Likovic@LDPconnect.com for the team discount coupon code. ALSO, if you send at least four people, your full team will be invited to our exclusive Team Workshop session designed for attending teams from the same organization. Bring your colleagues and build something together.
Many attendees come back year over year to connect with colleagues and share innovations in early talent program management. Here are some testimonials from past attendees.
Unlike a broad conference, the LDP Summit focuses specifically on early-career development and leadership programs. Sessions are designed to address the unique challenges of developing emerging professionals through structured learning experiences, rotational programs, mentoring, and leadership readiness.
Our annual conference features educational sessions, expert presentations, peer discussions, and networking opportunities that help organizations strengthen their talent and leadership pipelines. Attendees leave with actionable ideas, proven best practices, and practical strategies to improve the effectiveness of their early-career development programs.
The LDP Summit gives program managers the opportunity to learn from experienced practitioners, discover innovative approaches to talent development, and stay informed about emerging industry trends. These insights can help organizations enhance participant experiences, improve program outcomes, and build stronger future leaders.
Rention rates, NPS scores, Diversity metrics
Curiculum elements, Program structure & more!
From 177 early talent development programs
Across 94 organizations and 9 functional areas
New applications are typically reviewed within an hour of submission. You'll receive an email notification shortly.